Staffing agencies in Fort Lauderdale: Broward County's market and what a labor hall can charge you

This page is for people looking for work through a Broward County agency, employers choosing one, and B2B sellers whose customers are staffing firms. Census publishes these figures by county, so they cover all of Broward, from Fort Lauderdale to Pembroke Pines and Coral Springs.

Broward County staffing agencies in Census data

US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, for Broward County, Florida, NAICS 56131 (Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services) and 56132 (Temporary Help Services):

Temp agencies employ the people they place, so the 11,906 in temp help are mostly temps on assignment, counted at the agency's location rather than the client's. That's why 283 branches hold 82% of the jobs. The placement and search offices are many but small: 178 locations averaging about 14 employees.

Size

In broader bands, 353 establishments have 1 to 19 employees, 67 have 20 to 99 and 41 have 100 or more; the 41 is the total less the smaller bands, because the Census Bureau doesn't publish the top classes for the combined codes. The temp help row shows 8 branches with 250 to 499 employees and 3 with 500 to 999, and its classes account for all 283 branches, so none reached 1,000. One placement location also sits above 249.

These are establishments with paid employees, not companies, so a national firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise counts twice, and self-employed recruiters aren't counted. Professional employer organizations, which Florida licenses as employee leasing companies, are a separate industry: 27 locations in Broward. No SEC-registered listed staffing company has its business address in the county.

Kinds of agency in Broward

What Florida's Labor Pool Act requires

The Act covers labor pools: businesses running a labor hall, "a central location ... where day laborers assemble and are dispatched to work for a third-party user." It doesn't apply to farm labor contractors, employee leasing companies, union hiring halls, in-house hiring offices, or temp services supplying "solely white collar employees, secretarial employees, clerical employees, or skilled laborers." Under section 448.24, a labor pool:

• may not charge for safety equipment, clothing or accessories the job requires;
• may charge no more than $1.50 each way for transport to or from the work site;
• may not charge for cashing a worker's check;
• must pay at or above the minimum wage, with deductions (other than those required by law) never taking pay below it;
• must pay by cash, a cash-payable check, payroll debit card or electronic transfer, tell workers the method before the first pay period, and let them opt out of a pay card or transfer;
• must give an itemized statement of deductions with each payment and an annual earnings summary by 1 February;
• may charge no more than the actual cost of lunch, and can't make buying lunch a condition of work;
• must provide restrooms, drinking water and seating at the hall;
• may not restrict a worker from taking a permanent job with the client, though it may charge the client a reasonable placement fee.

A worker may sue for actual and consequential damages or $1,000, whichever is greater, for each violation, after serving written notice and giving the labor pool 60 days to cure it.

Worked example: a day laborer's deductions

Illustrative example. The hall, pay rate and charges are invented; the limits are those in Florida Statutes 448.24.

Marisol takes general labor shifts from a Broward labor hall: 8 hours at $16.00, $128.00 gross per shift. Compare a hall that ignores the Act with what the Act allows:

Over 20 shifts the non-compliant hall takes $560.00 against a lawful maximum of $60.00, a difference of $500.00. Keep each itemized statement: it's the evidence if you need to send a notice.

How employers should vet a Broward agency

1. Confirm the entity with Florida's Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) and its status.
2. Get certificates for workers' compensation and general liability naming your company.
3. If it runs a labor hall, ask how it pays workers and what it charges for transport; a hall that breaks the Act is a risk to your site's reputation as well as its own.
4. For a PEO, check its employee leasing licence with the state.
5. Read ratings on ClearlyRated and call two clients with similar work.

If you're looking for work

Agencies are paid by the employers they staff, so don't pay to register. At a labor hall, ask on day one how you'll be paid and what the ride costs; you can choose not to be paid by pay card or transfer. CareerSource Broward, the county's public workforce agency, is another route to jobs.

Selling to Broward staffing agencies

Two groups buy differently. The 283 temp branches, including labor halls, buy payroll and pay cards, timekeeping, screening, transport and workers' compensation. The 178 placement and search offices buy job advertising, candidate data and recruiting software.

For pay products, the Act's rules are the opening: a labor pool that pays by card must offer direct deposit instead, tell workers before the first pay period, and list a nearby place to withdraw cash with no fee. At volume, Bebop finds agencies matching a description and drafts the first message. For list method, see how to build a prospect list.

Subject: Pay cards that meet 448.24

Hi [first name],

Florida's Labor Pool Act lets you pay day laborers by payroll debit card, but only with written notice, an opt-out and a nearby no-fee withdrawal point.

Our [product] handles all three: the notice prints at dispatch, workers can switch to direct deposit in the app, and [partner] locations in [area] withdraw for free.

Could I walk you through it on [day]?

[Your name]

Local sources

Next step: compare the county to its neighbor in the report on staffing agencies in Miami.